Combination of thiol antioxidant Silibinin with Brostallicin is associated with increase in the anti-apoptotic protein Bcl-2 and decrease in caspase 3 activity

Enhanced Anti-Inflammatory Effects of Silibinin and Capsaicin Combination in Lipopolysaccharide-Induced RAW264.7 Cells by Inhibiting NF-κB and MAPK Activation

Silibinin and capsaicin both are natural product molecules with diverse biological activities. In this article, we investigated the anti-inflammatory effects of silibinin combined with capsaicin in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced RAW264.7 cells. The results showed that silibinin combined with capsaicin strongly inhibited LPS-induced nitric oxide (NO), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), Interleukin-6 (IL-6), and COX-2. Moreover, silibinin combined with capsaicin potently inhibited nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) and mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling pathways. The results of the present study indicate that silibinin combined with capsaicin effectively inhibits inflammation.

Milk thistle (Silybum Marianum) as an antidote or a protective agent against natural or chemical toxicities: a review

Biological and chemical agents cause dangerous effects on human health via different exposing ways. Recently, herbal medicine is considered as a biological and safe treatment for toxicities. Silybum marianum (milk thistle), belongs to the Asteraceae family, possesses different effects such as hepatoprotective, cardioprotective, neuroprotective, anti-inflammatory and anti-carcinogenic activities. Several studies have demonstrated that this plant has protective properties against toxic agents. Herein, the protective effects of S. marianum and its main component, silymarin, which is the mixture of flavonolignans including silibinin, silydianin and silychristin acts against different biological (mycotoxins, snake venoms, and bacterial toxins) and chemical (metals, fluoride, pesticides, cardiotoxic, neurotoxic, hepatotoxic, and nephrotoxic agents) poisons have been summarized. This review reveals that main protective effects of milk thistle and its components are attributed to radical scavenging, anti-oxidative, chelating, anti-apoptotic properties, and regulating the inflammatory responses.

Silymarin and hepatocellular carcinoma: a systematic, comprehensive, and critical review

The blessed milk thistle (Silybum marianum L.), a flowering plant native to Mediterranean Europe, has been consumed and extensively used as a cure for various chronic liver ailments over several centuries. Milk thistle extract, known as silymarin, is a complex mixture of seven major flavonolignans and one flavonoid. The phytoconstituents of silymarin owe their therapeutic and hepatoprotective effects to their strong antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. Primary liver cancer, also known as hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), occurs in a milieu of oxidative stress and inflammation. The etiology of HCC includes chronic infection with hepatitis B and C viruses, cirrhosis, and exposure to dietary and environmental hepatocarcinogens. Current therapeutic options for HCC, including surgical resection and liver transplantation, have limited benefits and are essentially ineffective. Chemoprevention, using phytochemicals with potent antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, represents a fascinating strategy, which has been a subject of intense investigation in the recent years. In this review, we explore the potential role of silymarin as a chemopreventive and therapeutic agent for HCC. The review systematically evaluates the preclinical in-vitro and in-vivo studies investigating the effects of silymarin and its constituents on HCC. The biochemical mechanisms involved in the anti-liver-cancer effects of silymarin have been presented. The current status of clinical studies evaluating the potential of role of silymarin in liver cancer, especially that caused by hepatitis C virus, has also been examined. Potential challenges and future directions of research involved in the 'bench-to-bedside' transition of silymarin phytoconstituents for the chemoprevention and treatment of HCC have also been discussed.

The protective effect of silybin against lasalocid cytotoxic exposure on chicken and rat cell lines

Lasalocid, an ionophore coccidiostat, extensive use implies a risk of toxicological impacts. Protective effects of silybin, a herbal compound of Silybum marianum, are reported elsewhere. The aim of this study was to compare effects of the combined use of lasalocid and silybin in chicken hepatoma cells (LMH) and rat myoblasts (L6) cell lines cultures. The cytoprotective effect resulting from an interaction of both pharmaceuticals was measured with the help of MTT reduction and, coomassie brilliant blue binding (CBB) and LDH release assays. Isobolography and the combination index (CI) estimated the nature and scale of interaction. In all performed tests, the lowest lasalocid EC₅₀-values were obtained for chicken hepatocytes. In the rat myoblasts cultures, the lowest lasalocid EC₅₀-values were found with LDH test. Simultaneously, a lack of silybin cytotoxic effect was proven for the studied cell lines. An interaction between both substances led to a considerable decrease of lasalocid cytotoxicity. The isobolograms and combination index showed a significant antagonistic nature of silybin effect in the course of lasalocid cytotoxicity. It is concluded that the mechanism of cytoprotection results from complex reaction at biochemical and biophysical endpoints during chicken hepatocytes and rat myoblasts cell lines exposure to silybin and lasalocid co-action.

Apoptosis induction by OTA and TNF-α in cultured primary rat hepatocytes and prevention by silibinin

In cultures of primary rat hepatocytes, apoptosis occurred after application of 20 ng/mL tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α). However, this was only in the presence of 200 ng/mL of the transcriptional inhibitor actinomycin D (ActD). This toxic effect was completely prevented in the presence of 25 µg/mL soluble TNF-α receptor I (sTNFR I) in the supernatant of hepatocyte cell cultures. Apoptosis also occurred after application of 12.5 µmol/L ochratoxin A (OTA). However, that was not prevented by up to 500 µg/mL sTNFR I, indicating that TNF-α/TNFR I is not involved in OTA mediated apoptosis in hepatocytes. The antioxidative flavanolignan silibinin in doses from 130 to 260 µmol/L prevented chromatin condensation, caspase-3 activation, and apoptotic DNA fragmentation that were induced by OTA, by 10 mmol/L hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) and by ultraviolet (UV-C) light (50 mJ/cm²), respectively. To achieve protection by silibinin, the drug was applied to the cell cultures for 2 h in advance. OTA stimulated lipid peroxidation on cultured immortalized rat liver HPCT cells, as was revealed by malondialdehyde (MDA) production. Lipid peroxidation occurred further by H₂O₂ and ActD/TNF-α incubation. These reactions were also suppressed by silibinin pretreatment. We conclude that the anti-apoptotic activity of silibinin against OTA, H₂O₂ and ActD/ TNF-α is caused in vitro by the antioxidative effects of the flavanolignan. Furthermore, cytotoxicity of the pro-apoptotic toxins was revealed by MTT-test. When applied separately, ActD and TNF-α showed no cytotoxic effects after 24 h, but were cytotoxic if applied in combination. The used concentrations of OTA, H₂O₂ and the dose of UV-C caused a substantial decrease in viability within 36 h that was prevented mostly by silibinin. We conclude that silibinin is a potent protective compound against apoptosis and cytotoxicity caused by OTA and the investigated compounds.

Prevention of cadmium-induced toxicity in liver-derived cells by the combination preparation Hepeel(®)

Cadmium is a heavy metal of considerable environmental concern that causes liver damage. This study examined the possible prevention of cadmium toxicity in human HepG2 cells and primary rat hepatocytes by Hepeel(®), a combined preparation of tinctures from seven different plants. Hepeel(®) prevented cadmium chloride (CdCl(2))-induced cell death in both HepG2 cells and hepatocytes, and also reduced the loss of glutathione, lipid peroxidation, nuclear fragmentation, caspase activation and release of mitochondrial cytochrome C. To compare their relative efficacy, the seven constituent plant tinctures of Hepeel(®) were also separately tested. The tinctures China and Nux moschata, which exert solely anti-oxidative effects, failed to reduce cytotoxicity, and only protected against loss of glutathione and lipid peroxidation. In contrast, the tinctures Carduus marianus and Chelidonium, demonstrated anti-apoptotic effects, and protected HepG2 cells and primary hepatocytes against CdCl(2)-induced cell death. These results demonstrate how the effectiveness of Hepeel(®) is determined by the synergistic features of its constituent tinctures. Furthermore, we conclude that cadmium toxicity in the liver is mainly due to stimulation of the intrinsic apoptotic pathway, but may be intensified by increased oxidative stress.

The anticancer effect of protein-extract from Bidens alba in human colorectal carcinoma SW480 cells via the reactive oxidative species- and glutathione depletion-dependent apoptosis

Bidens alba has been used for healing cuts, injuries, swellings, hypertension, jaundice, and diabetes in some countries. However, the effect of B. alba on human cancer remains poorly understood. The goal of this study was to investigate whether B. alba protein-extract could have an anticancer property against human colorectal cancer. The human colorectal cancer SW 480 cells treated with the protein-extract of B. alba would cause marked DNA damages and apoptosis-related cellular morphologies. Treatment with 225 microg/ml B. alba protein-extract also led to the SW480 cells to produce readily intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) after 1h of treatment and last to 24 h. The intracellular glutathione (GSH) depletion occurred after 12-24h of treatment. The treatment of the protein-extract would also caused mitochondrial transmembrane potential (DeltaPsi(m)) to decrease and cytosolic cytochrome c to increase. The caspase 3/7 activities were activated from 3 to 6 h after the treatment. The percentages of apoptosis induced by the protein-extract of B. alba decreased 26.4%, 10.1%, and 29.4% when the SW 480 cells were pretreated with Vitamin C, N-acetylcysteine, and Boc-Asp(OMe)-fmk, respectively. Taken together, we demonstrated for the first time that the protein-extract of B. alba could induce apoptosis that was related to the ROS production and GSH depletion in human colorectal cancer. The protein-extract of B. alba might have therapeutic value against the human colorectal cancer.